Rare Bird of Paradise

Those who follow my blog might already know that I have a soft spot for the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. I do firmly believe is probably the best fashion school in today's world and so are the graduation shows of their students. I'm always in awe with their designs and imagination, the quality of the garments and their ideas.

This year's graduation took place last month and the work of Meryll Rogge was specially dear to me. Let's say I have a total crush on her collection. (here to see all the shows)

Her work, as that one of Andrea Ayala, another Antwerp student graduated in 2007 whose collection still keeps me in awe, brings to mind Sonia Delauney's designs for theater during the 20's.- Cubism seems a very recurrent topic for these graduates.

Sonia Delaunay's costumes for "The Gas Heart" by Tristan Tzara.

Although such inspiration might seem dated, let me tell ya, I rather to see Cubism-inspired collections (and I'll clap if I see them!) than another twiggy/60's-hippie/70's one... it's needed more knowledge and imagination.

Quote of The Day.- Tom Ford on Sex

" Sex is part of my image. It's part of me. I'm extremely sensual. If I like someone I want to touch them, if I love them I want to hold onto them. I'm very physical. But also I don't find sex offensive, I don't find the human body offensive. I don't find a guy's cock or a woman's vagina offensive, in fact I find them beautiful. I would put them on an ad with a perfume bottle if I could get away with it."


Tom Ford interviewed by Stephen Todd
Fantastic Man, issue 7
page 106

Oh I Was So Upset... Now I'm Ok

Remember last fall when I missed the premiere of the film Lagerfeld Confidential ?

I was so upset... For the first time in my blogging life I was invited to attend a cool event and my going of vacation aborted the enjoyment. Damn it!

I was so upset that I promised myself that this won't happen ever again... Well, I just missed another super awesome invitation because, this time, i had to work.

The last Tuesday the FIT Couture Council awarded Cuban designer Isabel Toledo, one of my favourite designers, this by the way, with the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion at their annual Fall Fashion Week benefit luncheon.

You can imagine how excited I was for going... and how upset when at the very last minute I got a call for a gig I couldn't say no.
I wrote the FIT apologizing my absence and they answered me back a very lovely email so i really hope next time i can make it.

All my best wishes to Isabel Toledo.

Rubén and Isabel Toledo by Miguel Villalobos

Yes! Finally! Men are Back. DAVID GANDY

True. There was a time when I was into skinny guys, into a kind of feminine-looking dude...
But the more I grow the more I want men back in fashion. Let's say that the Slimane's Dior Homme's silhouette is not my type anymore... It's cool, but that's pretty much all. There's not "life" in it, if you know what i mean.

It's such a relief that finally men as David Gandy are pushing their presence through fashion shows and editorials... and what a presence!.

He's part of a new breed of male models which, to me, is far more interesting that the eternal boy we have seen in all the magazines and catwalks during the last decade.
As he put it "When I first started, the demand was for very young, very skinny, androgynous guys. That look has dominated a lot of the campaigns and editorials over the last few years. Because I’m none of those things, I went down the commercial catalog route in order to earn a living. I did earn good money, but I realized that money wasn’t the reason I become a model." (source).

Dolce & Gabbana Underwear.
Featuring David Gandy

David Gandy is probably the king of this new breed of models, being some kind of a star after his appearance in the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue ad.
He's done ads for Zara, Carolina Herrera, Ermenegildo Zegna... and VMan featured him in one of the best covers I've seen in a men's magazine.

Now let's just hope that if men like that are back, real women are just around the corner...

More info on David here.

Music I'm Into Right Now

Following sweet Dreamecho's tag on what I'm into right now in terms of music... there we go.
First I need to post the rules, how annoying, but you can step this if you don't feel like reading, anyway.


The Rules:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your summer.
Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs.
Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.


"Ready For The Floor" - Hot Chip
Ah... this is FUN! And look at the styling... terrific





"Electric Feel" - MGMT
The perfect summer song




"Wicked Game" - Chris Isaak
Because it involves three things i truly love:
1.- Wild at Heart (it's part of its soundtrack)
2.- Fashion (with super Helena Christensen playing gorgeous as ever)
3.- and a hot dude, that is, Isaak himself.





"The Little That You Have" - Justin Hinds and The Dominoes
Because it's fun, it's summer and makes me feel good.





"When Doves Cry" - Prince
Because they play it at my work EVERY DAY. And I love Prince





"A Felicidade" - Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho
There's not summertime without a bossa nova song
(I couldn't find the right version though, but this is quite good)




"Paper Planes" - M.I.A.
She's the queen.

Hot Chicks in the Air

There was a time when girls dreamed of being stewardesses when they'd grow older... Or at least I did.
My cousin Tatiana never finished college because at age 18 and due to her ability with languages (she spoke 4 at the time!) she was hired as stewardess for Iberia. It was the coolest thing ever!
I was so envious... she was always flying, traveling, knowing places and telling me all these crazy stories... with pilots you know.
Fashion designers died for having the chance of designing flight attendants uniforms, and some privileged did as Christian Dior for SAS, Balenciaga for Air France or Valentino for TWA. (source)
If you want to know more about these fashions, do not miss the book Airlines: Identity, Design and Culture by Keith Lovegrove.
Unfortunately times changed and everything got cheap, affordable and tacky and being a stewardess wasn't cool anymore. That's a real shame, isn't it?

[A big thank you to Dark Roasted Blend for collecting such wonderful an archive]

Remember??... Free cocktails for everyone!

Summer Knitts and Marie Louise Vogt

Knitted garments for summer are my soft spot. They remind me my childhood when my grandma used to knit all kind of stuff for me, or the gorgeous 70's knitted dresses my mom used to wear when I was a child.
For this reason I fancy designers as Sandra Backlund or Marie Louise Vogt, whose SS 09 collection is being presented right now at projektgalerie showroom during the Berlin Fashion Week.

It's a pity I can't find her designs in NY, it's always the same...

SS 08 by Marie Louise Vogt
Images © Florian de Brün

Karlota Laspalas

I met Karlota Laspalas during my job as fashion stylist for potipoti's AW 08-09 show during Pasarela Abierta in Murcia, Spain.

One day Karlota came to backstage to ask me for safety pins and we exchanged some words. Later I found out that she was one of the students who won the opportunity to show their graduate collections during Pasarela Abierta, being she the one who later won the special award to the best student collection.

Her designs surprised the audience and jury for their quality, and I still remember the long wait to talk to her after the show... that was A big line!

Say hello to Karlota Laspalas...


1.- Hi Karlota!. Let's start with a question that is wondering my head since I started to find out things about you... are you the same Karlota Laspalas that used to win awards on snowboard?
Yes, that's me. Well, life has different phases and that was a good one. I went to Barcelona to study and that meant rent, student bills... too many expenses to pay with a student's salary.

1.- Para empezar una pregunta que me viene comiendo la cabeza desde que empecé a averiguar cosas de ti... Eres la misma Karlota Laspalas del mundo snowboard?. Si es así, a que se debió este cambio de snow a moda? Aunque me imagino q seguiras haciendo snowboard...
Si la misma. Bueno, la vida son etapas y aquella fue una muy buena, llego el momento de venirme a Barcelona, piso, estudios...muchos gastos que cubrir con un pequeño sueldo de estudiante.



2.- One collection and innumerable awards. What are you enjoining the most in the present and are afraid the most in the future?
The truth is that I'm not having enough time to enjoy my present but the most rewarding thing is to see your efforts valuated, not only for the awards but also for the lovely welcome I find everywhere. In regards of my future, I have more respect than fear, although things are going on very well there's still a long way to walk.

2.- Una coleccion y millones de premios. Que es lo que más estas disfrutando de tu presente y lo que más miedo te da de tu futuro? La verdad que estoy teniendo poco tiempo para disfrutarlo pero lo mas gratificante es ver de alguna manera el esfuerzo recompensado, no solo por los premios sino por la buena acogida que me encuentro en los distintos lugares. Y respecto a mi futuro, mas que miedo tengo respeto, aunque las cosas estén saliendo muy bien aun me queda mucho camino por recorrer.


3.- Are you preparing your next collection or you're giving yourself a break to enjoy what's happening?
Right now I'm fully immerse in a possible participation in Modafad. Then i will work on a Madrid fashion competition, followed by Mittelmoda (where I was also selected for the Levi's Award and I will be showing two or three new designs). After that it comes Modorra in Bilbao and maybe then i will start to think in my next project...

3.- Estas preparando ya tu proxima coleccion o has decidido darte un respiro para disfrutar de las cosas buenas del momento? Ahora mismo estoy inmersa en una posible participación en Modafad, luego vendrá un certamen en Madrid, Mittelmoda, en el que también estoy seleccionada para el Levi´s award donde presentaré dos o tres nuevos estilismos. Después posiblemente participe en Modorra de Bilbao y tal vez entre tanto empezaré a pensar en mis próximos proyectos.




4.- What did it mean to you to be finalist of a prestigious fashion competition such Mittelmoda? How was the selection?
It wasn't that different from other contests. Through our fashion school they offered us to participate, so I prepared the long dossier you need to submit and sent it. It is very special to be in there because it is an international contest where they receive a great deal of works and being selected is already a great satsfaction.

4.- Que ha significado para ti el ser finalista del prestigioso premio Mittelmoda? Cómo fue la selección?
No ha sido muy diferente al proceso de selección de otros certámenes. A través de mi escuela nos propusieron la idea y simplemente, realicé el dossier extenso que se precisa para participar. Es muy especial porque es un certamen internacional al que se presentan un gran número de trabajos y estar entre lo seleccionados ya es una gran satisfacción.



5.- During these months of shows I guess you have had the chance of meeting fashion professionals whose work has been very inspiring to you. Who has been the person or people you keep a better memory of?
Yes, i have been very fortunate in that matter too, first for having as tutors for my project no other than Ismael and Sergio from Spastor, such a honor, and second for meeting all kind of people during the contests, people that has shared with me their own vision on fashion, from the jury of each contest to photographers as Javier Ferrer, Manuel Lozano, Juan Francisco Lopez... stylists as you or Analia Lanfranco, press journalists as Leticia Orúe or designers as Alberto from Sinpatrón, Pedro form Pedro y El Lobo, Silvia y Nando from potipoti, Jose Zambrano and Ibai Labega.

5.- Durante todos estos meses imagino que habras tenido la oportunidad de conocer profesionales de la moda de una calidad valiosisima. Quién ha sido la persona o personas a quienes más te ha sorprendido y placer te ha dado conocer?
Si, en eso también he sido muy afortunada, primero al tener como tutores de proyecto nada mas y nada menos que a Ismael y Sergio de Spastor, todo un honor, y después al encontrarme en los diferentes certámenes personas que me han aportado su visión sobre el sector, desde los jueces de cada certamen, pasando por fotógrafos como Javier Ferrer, Manuel Lozano, Juan Francisco Lopez, estilistas como tú y Analia Lanfranco, gente de medios como Leticia Orúe, hasta diseñadores como Alberto de Sinpatrón, Pedro de Pedro y el Lobo, Silvia y Nando de potipoti, Jose Zambrano e Ibai Labega.


6.- What's the difference between men's wear and women's?
For me none. My collection is unisex so I odn't see the difference between woman and man. The fact that I proposed men's wear in the contests is because I think that it could be a different proposal to what's the norm.

6.- Qué tiene la ropa de hombre que no tiene la de mujer?
Para mi nada diferente, mi colección es unisex y por tanto no veo diferencia entre mujer y hombre. El hecho de que haya presentado hombre en los certámenes es porque considero que podría ser una propuesta diferente a las que normalmente se presentan.



7.- Bla Bla Bla magazine with Klaudia Laspalas... Tell us about this project.
It's not exactly a project per se but some designs I created while studying fashion design. Then, thanks to Klaudia, I could collaborate with this magazine where I presented part of those designs.

7.- Bla Bla Bla magazine con Klaudia Laspalas... Hablame un poco de este proyecto. No se trata de un proyecto en concreto sino varios diseños creados durante mis estudios. Luego, gracias a klaudia, pude colaborar en este magazine haciendo una pequeña presentación sobre algunos de mis trabajos.




8.- If you could curate a fashion exhibition in a Contemporary Art Museum, what would you choose?
It could be an exhibition on international young designers. It is always interesting to know what new proposals are emerging in other countries.

8.- Si pudieras comisariar una exposicion de moda en algun museo de Arte Contemporaneo...
Podría ser una exposición sobre diseñadores noveles a nivel internacional. Siempre es interesante conocer que propuestas están emergiendo en otro lugares.

milkshakechocolate.net in ELLE Girl Korea

My very personal fashion project milkshakechocolate is featured in this month ELLE Girl Korea on a special "Online Magazines" together with Australian sesamemedia.com and Korean nazine.com thanks to the lovely MinKyung Kim who contacted me to ask permission to publish the magazine and send me a couple of questions.

I was thrilled.

I founded milkshakechocolate and been fashion director and editor in chief for two years and right when the e-zine came to an end I received the best press I could ever had.

I'm very grateful for such honor because ELLE Girl Korea is demonstrating that a girls' magazine doesn't need to be all boys and pinks; they are publishing interesting articles, really good selection of contemporary designers and cool stuff by the hour in their pages. Believe me.

Below is the translation of the interview, although I don't think they published the whole (I can't really tell as the publication is in Korean so I have not clue of what's published and what's left away). But there you have:

1. Milkshakechocolate... So sweet name! For readers of ELLEGirl, tell us a bit about what's Milkshakechocolate magazine.

milkshakechocolate started in 2006 as a platform for young artists, both in the field of fashion and art.
At the beginning, all the work that was published was from artists I met through myspace or from artists I knew personally whose work was really good but very difficult to find other than in their personal sites, because they were still young and unknown.
The first issue was a bit of a success and soon I started to have the opportunity to feature the work of wide renown artists like BLESS, Sandra Backlund or Boudicca, whose presence in the magazine would support the work of the younger ones.
Now milkshakechocolate is focused in avant-garde fashion because that's where my personal interest led me to.

2. It is known that one staff is in charge of editing and designing. How do you choose up the rest of staffs?

I choose the people that work for milkshakechocolate in regards of the quality of their work. The majority of those people are friends or friends of friends whose work I really respect, so it's like a community of friends working together and doing things they like to do. I'm very fortunate to have such good professionals collaborating with me.



3. Why you choose online-based magazine, instead of paper based one? In comparison with other online magazines, the majority of articles are lengthy detailed interviews. With so much read, is it more suitable for offline media?

This is a really good question that I often ask myself too.
milkshakechocolate started as a very personal project, and still is really. When I started my main goal was to feature the work of artists I knew and really admired.
The first thought was to do it on paper, in a zine-kind of magazine. But paper is very expensive and you need a good monetary back up to print and then distribute, something I didn't have at the time, so I needed to think of an alternative.

I believe in a DIY (Do It Yourself) philosophy, if you want to do something you should use all is around you to make it happen.

My friend Alex gave me the brilliant idea to do it online because it's cheaper and the distribution is worldwide. So I attended a course on web design and started to design the magazine myself.

Now things are a little different, the quality is getting better and the goals are others.
I realized myself what you so brilliantly asked me: my articles are very in-depth because that's what I was looking for, but online readers want quick and very easy readings because it's uncomfortable to be in front of a computer.

For this reason I decided to go on paper and that's what me and my partner Sonia Ostrovsky are working on right now. The next issue will be on paper and the magazine will have a new name.



4. Anyway, you feel keenly the boundary of online magazine. What's the most difficult thing?

The most difficult thing is to find artists (designers, photographers, illustrators, journalists etc) that want to be feature or to work for an online magazine, unless is a world renown online publication like showSTUDIO of Totem Fashion.
I was really fortunate to have the support of designers like BLESS or Boudicca, who believed in my magazine and their interviews opened a lot of "doors" to me.

But online magazine have not credibility whatsoever because there's thousand of online publications so for the artists their work gets lost on the net. That is why I decided also to go on paper because I wanted to feature the work of designers who only agreed to be interviewed if my magazine was printed.

5. On the contrary, what's the fascination with online media as compared to offline one?

I like the democratization of online media.
Everyone is able to express his/her creativity and to show it to the world.
Before we had Internet it was very difficult for artists and designers to get known if they were living in a remote town. They needed to move to big cities in order to know the right people. Now they can be in contact with the whole world with just a click!
I think we all are very blessed that this thing is happening in our time. You only need two things to make an online magazine: a web design program and Internet connection.

6. Two special issue 'Subway Issue' and 'Child Issue' were shown. What are your inspirations in planning special issues?

Haha… there is really not a planning!
Both themes were chosen in a certain moment when I just felt inspired.
I chose the Childhood issue because that was the first issue of the magazine so I thought it would be fun to ask the artists how they see childhood, the "first", the beginning of everything.
The Subway issue was chosen because at the time I met a very special person on the subway… ☺

7. It has been dealed with fashion, art, and cultural whole. But most recent issues are inclined to define only fashion and design. Are you deliberately designed for this purpose?

When I started milkshakechocolate I wanted to create a Fashion & Art magazine, a publication with an eye on modern culture.
For that reason the first issues headed that way but I soon realized that fashion was my real passion, that all my energy was dedicated to find good designers rather than good fine artists.
Consequently the magazine developed into a fashion platform and now it's a mainly-fashion online publication, always focusing in fashion as an art more than fashion as a shopping experience.


8. Milkshakechocolate still has stayed in 2007. When will the next issue be out? The issue from winter 2007, the one that is now on view, was the last online issue.

We are now working in the new issue that will go on paper. The magazine's name will change too but unfortunately I can't give more details yet.
In any case, I would like to give you a little scoop so I'd say that we interviewed amazing designers like Jean Pierre Braganza, Toga or United Bamboo… And the magazine's new name was inspired by a trip that my partner Sonia did to Seoul last year!

Thank you so much (again and again and again)

My New Ebay

Being a stylist means TONS of clothing used just once and untouched for the rest of their life in your closet.
Some of the shoes and clothing are really fantastic but the sizes don't suit you so you'd never put them on...
Thus the solution came with Ebay. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, i had to wait to my friend Ana to be reminded that "things can be sold on internet"...

So i started my own Ebay account. :-) where I will basically sell books about fashion and clothing.

My first item posted are these hand-made Italian leather sandals from the 90's by Joan & David. The perfect sandal for those summer walks in the coast! They always reminded me Capri for some reason...

..... and my Dorotea for Antonio Miró green sandals... which I love but need to get rid of them to have more space in my wardrobe!
I bought them in 1999 when Dorotea was starting her professional career. I remember staring at them in awe... really cool heel and sole.

Karlla Girotto

Laura Eceiza, friend and fashion sociology teacher at the IED where I graduated in Fashion Design, is writing an atlas on contemporary fashion and every now and then she sends me news on how is going with the designers.
Not long ago she pointed out the work of Brazilian Karlla Girotto whose work is far from samba and color and very close to that of Rick Owens or Helmut Lang. Dark and poetic.
Karlla does art-fashion, a work that goes beyond design.


Karlla Girotto at Sao Paulo Fashion Week

Her website is pure eye candy ...





Karlla studied Fashion Design at the Faculdade Santa Marcelina in Sao Paulo and started her days designing costumes for the company of theater director Antunes Filho, probably the reason behind her wonderful shows/performances.
She also collaborates with Art gallery Florence Antonio for which opening she created the performance Bela Adormecida (Sleeping Beauty).

On An Island With You

MGM's On An island With You, directed by Richard Thorpe, is not mentioned in the books of Hollywood history for being a good movie, but I think is a perfect watch for a lazy summer day.
Esther Williams, the Hollywood mermaid, stars this musical that is set in a Polynesian island during a movie filming. [If you work in movies this is a film for you too, some good gags, specially in a scene when the hair stylist is being rushed by the first AD to finish the main character's hairdo and she answers "I'll let you know when I'm ready"...]
The story is too predictable and moralist at a times (note that these are the 40's, when the Hays Code was still in full moon) but in general is a very amusing film, a 100% a chick flick.
The costumes, by Irene Lentz, executive costume designer for MGM from 1942 to 1949, are just gorgeous. I always speak of Edith Head as the great costume designer of all times but some day i must speak of Irene because she was another big time costume designer. Big big time.

-------------------------

Bien es cierto que la película de la MGM On An island With You (no encuentro la traducción al español) dirigida por Richard Thorpe no aparece en los libros de historia de Hollywood por ser una buena pelicula pero yo la encuentro deliciosa para esas tardes de verano en las que uno esta tirado en el sofá y le apetece evadirse un poco.
Esther Williams, la sirena de Hollywood, protagoniza esta película que narra las venturas y desventuras de un equipo de rodaje en una isla de la Polinesia. [Si trabajas en cine hay algunos gags en este film que son muy buenos. Como cuando el ayudante de dirección mete prisas a peluquería para que termine el peinado de la protagonista y ésta le espeta: "Ya te avisaré yo cuando esté lista"...]
Y aunque a veces la historia peca de predecible y moralista, estos son los años 40, todavia pleno apogeo de la Ley de Hays, es una película bastante entretenida.
El vestuario corre a cargo de Irene Lentz, quien fuera Jefa de Departamento de Vestuario de la MGM de 1942 a 1949, la cual hace una labor exquisita teniendo en cuenta los años de escasez que corrian por entonces. Y mira que siempre hablo de Edith Head como "La" diseñadora de vestuario por excelencia, pero algun día tendré que dedicar un post a Irene que fue otra que creó más de un (y más de tres tambien) vestido memorable.